A Trekker's Day

Oct. 11
Here is a basic idea of what one of our days might look like:
We get up at 6am (no alarm need, just routine, and an early bed time). Dress, reorganize and pack (gotta love living out of a backpack). Then its breakfast at 6:30am. – I should add here that they have come up with a pretty standard menu for all the guest houses along the circuit. You have to be creative to get much variety in your diet. It basically consists of hot beverages (Nescafé), eggs, breads, soup (Raman), rice, momos, dal baht, curry and a few other items. – After breakfast it is onto the trail, probably somewhere around 7:30am (None of us have watches, I love the life style where time is irrelevant). Our hikes are some where between 5 to 7 hours a day (it seems to fly by). Part way through the day we will stop for lunch at a tea house. We finish our hike for the day probably around 3pm, after arriving in one of the villages and then settling into our guest house. Sometimes we will walk through the town and explore a bit. Then its off to the showers, crossing our fingers for some warm water. Before dinner we have some down time to chat, read, or play cards. Oh yeah and if the sun is out when we finish our hike we will sometimes do a little laundry, although it takes ages to dry in the cool air. Then dinner and after more time for cards and social. My guess is we’re probably crawling into bed sometime around 8:30-9pm. So far every place we’ve stayed has electricity which turns on once it gets dark. However, it is not uncommon for the power to go out, ending our evening in a candle lit atmosphere.

Accounts of Nepal

Oct.4
I am happy to report smooth overall travels all the way to Kathmandu, with my bag arriving along with me and Ryan and Rob waiting there to greet me upon my arrival! We took a taxi back to the hotel through the crowded and horn happy streets (people, cars, bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws). It’s so great to be around friends after traveling alone. Today we took a bus ride from Kathmandu up to the starting point of our trek. The people are beautiful and I love the women’s dress. So far all the locals that we have met have been extremely friendly. Everyone is very happy to stop and strike up a conversation with you. Tomorrow we begin our first day of hiking…

Oct. 6
We have had beautiful days for hiking. The trail is fairly narrow and rocky, varying up and down in elevation. We are following along a river and have had many bridge crossings, which always adds a bit of excitement. Today was the waterfall trek. So many gorgeous waterfalls and each breath taking and unique in its own way. So far the weather has been hot and humid. I just pour sweat for the six or so hours that we’re hiking. We have also had two afternoons in a row of hard short rain showers. Also, today after we finished our hike and showered, we decided to do some laundry. In the process we gained a helper. A little girl who lived in the village showed me exactly how to wash my socks (apparently I have been doing it wrong all these years, hehe).

Oct. 7
Two very common sights along the trail have been the many donkey trains and many locals carrying very large and heavy objects. It is such an interesting way of life here. There is currently no road for vehicles up through the valley, however they are in the process of building one.

Oct. 8
There were horse races going on today when we got into town at the end of our hike. Today I saw a little Nepali girl with Down Syndrome, she was absolutely beautiful!

Oct. 9
Day five of trekking what a beautiful day, goodness I couldn’t be happier spending 12 hours a day out of doors. We are starting to see glimpses of snow capped mountains peaking over and between the hillsides.

Our guides and porters are so great. They are good natured and good humored. They also speak pretty good English. There are a couple of them who are all friends so we have been traveling and staying with a retired couple from CA and a group of three from Spain. They have also been great company along the way and during our down time in the evenings.

Tonight there was no moon and I can’t remember the last time I saw so many stars. And so many shooting stars in such a short amount of time. Breathtaking, just indescribable, the twinkling in the darkness.

Oct. 13
We made it to high camp (over 15,000 feet, a new record for me)! The past four nights at higher elevations have been our acclimatization days before we head over the pass. While we were in Manang we went to an informational meeting about AMS (Altitude Mountain Sickness), also HACE and HAPE. There is an American doctor there who runs a Himalaya Mountain Rescue practice. That day I heard one helicopter and saw one person riding down on a donkey with oxygen. Altitude is no small matter.

I am amazed at all the different terrain we have been through thus far on our trek. Starting off lower through the jungle with many waterfalls. Then up through the pine trees. Now, high above tree line with many rock fields and small bushes, and snow!

Tomorrow is our big day, Thorung La Pass (17,769 ft). We’ll be going up higher then I have ever been and yet all around me there will be many peaks still towering over me.

Oct. 14
Yipee! We made it over Thorung La Pass! That was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Really how many people can say, “I’ve climbed over one of the highest passes in the world!” So we woke at 4:15am. It was dark and lightly snowing. With our headlamps and many layers on we started up the slippery slope. I get the feeling this was not exactly the safest day of hiking. I am just glad that it was dark out so that I couldn’t really tell how steep or how far down the edge we were walking along was. It made me so excited watching the falling snow reflect against the light of my head lamp. And what an incredible sight seeing the single file line of head lamps strung out along the path. We were a little disappointed about being socked in with clouds (no beautiful mountain views from the top) but I thought it was a great adventure all the same. The way down the other side of the pass was very long and steep. Praise God that we all felt good and stayed safe over the pass.

I can’t believe I have been in Nepal for two weeks and that we still have over a week left of our trek. And I am also happy to report that I am not sick of walking yet. When I look at the map its amazing how much ground we have already covered. Ryan made an interesting point the other day, something along the lines of, its funny how a necessity can become recreation. The people who live up here have to walk from village to village and we decide it would be fun to do the same for sport. I hope they don’t take for granted what a beautiful country they live in.

Oct. 16
Today we hiked for four hours in the rain, not pouring but constant. Rain is very refreshing and I do enjoy it, however by the end of our hike I was a bit wet and thoroughly chilled. In one of the towns along the way a girl of about 8 or so walked up next to me with her umbrella and held it over our heads for about five minutes, jumping over big puddles and laughing together until we reached her destination and she said goodbye. You have to love good people with pure hearts.

Oct. 19
Yesterday, when we stopped for lunch along the way, the Dahl Baht was recommended, so we all decided to go for it Nepali style (this means eating with your hand). Dahl Baht is the typical Nepalese meal, consisting of rice, curry potatoes and vegetable, lentil soup, and spicy pickle. So using your right hand you mix all but the pickle together and forming a scoop with the tips of your fingers you bring a bite up to your mouth and use your thumb to push it in. First of all it was excellent Dahl Baht and the family who owned the guest house and prepared the meal was so great and friendly. I will admit I have some practice to do when it comes to eating like that with one hand.

One random sight along the trail, grandpa carrying grandma in a basket on his back.
Fresh apples through the orchards were so yummy.

Oct. 23
Its festival season right now so everyone is out and about in nice dress with red rice stuck to their foreheads for good luck. They also put up huge swings made out of bamboo in all of the villages during this time of year.

Kathmandu

Oct. 30
I have to say after weeks of great hiking in the Himalayas its tough to end your trip in the big, hectic city of Kathmandu. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of things to do, see, smell, and taste in Kathmandu, but there’s just something about the peacefulness of being out in nature.

Sights of Kathmandu:
Themal is the main tourist area of the city with shops, restaurants, and guest houses galore.

The Monkey Temple: long lines of prayer wheels leading to the top and many strings of prayer flags. Lots of monkeys just hanging around. Many tables laid out, selling various trinkets and reminding me of the story of Jesus clearing the temple.

In a matter of about 60 seconds of standing out on the street you will most likely be approached with the offers to buy small elephant statues, tiger balm, and hash.

Rickshaws, taxis, motorbikes, cars, and bicycles all traveling down roads barely two car widths wide, packed with pedestrians, constantly honky their horns, just to let you know they’re there.

Beggars, everything from the crippled, mothers with little babies, to young kids who seemed to be completely on their own.

The opportunity to eat lots of Indian food!

Cheap lodging and food. 1USD = 62 RS. Room $2-10. Meal $2-10.

Striking up conversations with friendly locals and sharing traveling tales with other tourists.

…

Traveling home, a bit early

Now for the story behind my early departure from Kathmandu. So, I normally never reconfirm any of my flights before I fly, mostly because most major airlines don’t require it. However, rumor had it that Royal Nepal Airlines was fairly unreliable, so I went to their office in Kathmandu to confirm my departure flight for Oct. 31. I was then informed that they ‘weren’t actually going to be flying that day.’ Ok, great. Now what. With this new pertinent information, they simply tell me to just come back tomorrow. So I do, and what’s the first thing they try to tell me, ‘oh just come back tomorrow.’ I don’t think so! We are going to solve this problem. After an hour of getting no where and what is looking like no solutions, my head starts to ache with the mixed thoughts of when will I actually be able to get out of this country and planning my next trek if I get stuck here for a while. I then help the guy figure out that its possible for me to move my flights up a day or two, all of which still have open seats. I should know at this point not to push my luck, so of course my semi-productive day ends with the information that BA is closed for the day and I must come back for the third time tomorrow. Good gravy. The next day, as soon as I think we’re really making some progress, he tries to tell me something along the lines of, ‘ok you’re booked to leave tonight on Royal Nepal Airlines and I’ll try to book the British Airways flight for you, but you need to talk to someone when you get to New Delhi to make sure they are confirmed.’ “Ok,” I say to myself, “be flexible.” I have the opportunity to get out of Nepal, but I have no idea if I’m going to get stuck in Delhi. Well, let’s do it, what’s traveling without a little adventure.

New Delhi, I have found, is a bit of a stressful place to make an international transfer. Let’s just say it requires a lot of patience and trust. Basically you get off the plane and look for someone who might be ground crew working for that airline. Tell them you want to transfer and then they’ll stand you in this corner next to the customs lines. They then hand write down your name, passport number, transfer flight, and luggage tag numbers. We then walk back upstairs and are told to ‘sit and wait’ in the transit lounge (basically a large hallway about 150 yards long, 30 yards wide, and not nearly enough seats). My layover was 9 hours there. After about 6 hours someone finally addresses a group of us, “Anyone flying on British Airways?” A couple of us around her nod and then she asks for our passports and tickets and says she’ll be back soon. Two hours later, an hour before our flight takes off, I’m starting to get a little anxious with still no passport or confirmation that I’m actually going to get on this flight. 45 minutes before take off a lady returns, “British Airways? Follow me.” A couple of us follow her, identify our luggage, and are handed our passports and official boarding passes. Hurray, I’m really on my way home. Talk about an inefficient, very confusing and concerning process. Having been through a similar process there twice now, I suppose I have learned that it just seems to work out ok. Controlled chaos?

35 hours of traveling later, I am happy to be home safe and sound. It has been a little strange getting back into my normal routine, after a very simple life style this past month. It was so good to see all of my kids at work again, and it helped that they were just as excited to see me. I am already missing Rob and Ryan. They were great traveling companions. I had a really great trip trekking in Nepal! I absolutely loved being active out of doors in good company. It was very ideal and something I find great joy in.

Nepal over coffee

I am sitting in a coffee shop in Seattle less than two months ago, enjoying an excellent cappuccino and the wonderful company of one of my Whitworth professors, Rob Wilson, his wife Carol, and his son Ryan. The conversation runs through various outdoor sports and adventures, landing on the topic of trekking in Nepal. Rob and Ryan discuss their interest in planning this trip as a part of their next excursion around the world. I chime in and the conversation continues and follows:
Lauren: "The sounds incredible! I want to come!"
Rob and Ryan: "You should join us."
Lauren: "...OK."

I leave for Nepal today and am about to embark on what should be the trekking experience of a life time!

I fly from Denver to London to New Delhi to Kathmandu, where I will meet up with Ryan and Rob. While in Nepal we will trek the Annapurna Circuit, which takes almost a month. This route circles the Annapurna and Lamjung Himals all of whose peaks are over 23,000 feet. The highest elevation we will reach will be 17,769 ft on the Thorung La pass. I really have no idea what to expect of this whole trip, but I can tell you this, I am thrilled about sending a month in the heart of God's creation. Breathing in deep (literally) His wonders and majesty. Not too mention being accompanied by good friends. I can't wait to tell you all about my time in Nepal when I return in November. I will be thinking of each of you (I believe I will have plenty of time to do this and ponder the mysteries of the world on our long hikes every day!) and will remember you in my prayers while I am away. If you think of it as well, please pray for our safety and our health (which I am a little nervous about), the water, different food, and just traveling in a foreign country in general can put a strain on the body.

A new exciting culture and adventure awaits me, and I look forward to all the ways that God is going to use this trip to, once again, add to the person he has created me to be.

Here are a couple pictures of my summer fun: climbing 14ers and rock climbing in beautiful Colorado.

The Gift of Life

Our trip to China was short in time, but great in meaning. After 24 hours of travel, Kara and I finally arrived in Chongqing (near the middle of China) where we stayed our first night. The next morning we drove to the orphanage in Fuling. It was here, on this day that Kara was able to meet, for the first time, her new baby girl. The following days were filled with hours for Kara to hold, play with, and love on her child, Maylin (her Chinese name is Fu Bao Ping). Once we got to Fuling we learned that Maylin was actually living with a foster family. This is a great thing because she is getting very good care and extra attention. It is also helping her learn how to bond and develop relationally, which however, means that she was sad at the beginning of each day when her foster mom would drop her off at the orphanage. So, each day we would get up and make the short walk to the orphanage from our hotel, being stared at the whole way (and one time our shoes/Keens getting laughed at). We were in an area with no white people and no English, but we very conveniently we had a guide/translator with us. Once at the orphanage we would wait for Maylin to come, as well as spend time playing with the other babies. Oh my goodness they were adorable and absolutely loved all this attention, especially the simple act of physical touch. The orphanage was pretty nice and clean, and there was a fair amount of nannies there looking after the kids, all of which was very good to see. And yes, being there it makes you want to take all of those beautiful babies home with you. During our time in China we were also able to experience terrifying taxi rides and excellent food. After our days at the orphanage were up, we said a tearful goodbye to Maylin, said a prayer for Kara to return soon to bring Maylin home, and then packed up for our long trip home. I am so excited for the Henning family as they open up their home and have made the decision to share their love with this little girl. I am also honored to be a small part in supporting them and their adoption. Again, a week in China is just so short, but holding the beautiful new member of a wonderful family in your arms is beyond all measure of time.

Here is Kara's blog site with lots more information and pictures: http://web.mac.com/ghenning/iWeb/Maylin/Welcome.html

Aotearoa

New Zealand - so amazing! will be back some day very very soon!

Here is a list (in no specific order) of some of my favorite things, incredible adventures, and to say the least memorable moments from New Zealand.

1. Mountains everywhere!

2. Snow on my birthday

3. Kayaking in Milford Sound

4. Paragliding from the Remarkables Mountain Range in Queenstown

5. The turquoise color of Lake Tekapo

6. Reenacting Lord of the Rings

7. Counting sheep

8. Green rolling hills

9. Good company

10. Driving on the wrong side of the road

11. Loosing my voice for five days straight

12. Drinking a glass of wine, in my assigned seat at the movies, in a theater about the size of a large home theater

13. Outrigger Resorts - one night of spoiling ourselves

14. Curling up with a good book

15. ... the list could go on and on...

Aotearoa - The Maori name for N.Z., most often translated as 'Land of the Long White Cloud.'

Under Down Under

Tasmania, the full package deal. Just imagine a land of beaches, turned into mountains with lakes, spreading out into the greenest rainforests you’ve ever seen, abounding with gorgeous waterfalls. This week of traveling around Tasmania could quite possibly be my favorite part of my trip over here. A week may seem like a long time because we were able to see so much, but really there is just so much more that we didn’t get to. And by this, I drawn the conclusion that I will have to go back there again some day. I was traveling with the tour group Under Down Under, and the people and the guide were great and made good company along the journey. I loved every part of this trip, the hiking, the wombats, jumping off sand dunes, playing games at night in the hostels, the picture perfect sights, and the friends.

Victoria

This was a weekend of wonders in and around Melbourne. The waddling of little penguins to the miles upon miles of ocean coast left me gaping in awe once again of the mysteries and majesties of the beautiful, powerful, God created natural world.

On our first day in Melbourne we visited the Queen Victoria Markets. A fun atmosphere with the many different sights and smells, but to be honest, a bit over whelming. It actually reminded me much of the Chatuchak Market in Thailand.

Later that afternoon we went down along the coast of the peninsula south of Melbourne. We stopped and had lunch on a beach that was lined with brightly colored shed type buildings (I suppose which people keep their beach gear in). Quite a fascinating site. Then we headed off to Phillip Island where we would watch the Penguin Parade. Ends up we knew someone who knew someone and we got hooked up with the VIP tour for free. VIP tour meaning we had our own personal guide, we were given big jackets to wear (it was very cold on the island at night), little seats for sitting on the beach, headsets and binoculars. Anyway, so we went down to the beach and right at dusk groups of small penguins began to gather right at the waters edge before they made their scurry across the sand to their burrows along the hillside for the night. What an amazing opportunity to see this undisturbed pattern of nature. Each penguin follows the exact smae path every night to its home...interesting fact. This time of year is also their mating season so we were able to hear the males calling out to attract their mate and a more feisty call when protecting their burrow/territory from other males. These little penguins were adorable and as simple as this daily routine may seem, I'm so glad I was able to witness it.

On Sunday we hired (rented) a car and drove The Great Ocean Road. This was my first experience driving on the left side of the road and I am happy to report that all went well! The coast line, with its giant cliffs and turquoise blue water was gorgeous! Parts of the drive were through forests where we saw many koalas in the treetops. We also drove through beautiful green rolling hills where we saw kangaroos grazing. They are kind of like deer in Colorado. We stopped to see two of the famous sights along the drive, The Twelve Apostles (only seven of which are still standing) and The London Bridge. Now, if you have ever seen pictures of these I'm sure you thought, 'Yeah, that looks pretty cool.' But let me tell you, to see these enormous rock formations off the coast and jutting high out of the water, was absolutely amazing. truely breath taking. And then there's the giant waves crashing around the base of the rocks. I have never seen anything like it.

Now its back to work after a short but fabulous adventure. I will be working at the cafe for about two more weeks, then I will begin a month full of traveling around here before I head home. Wow, how time flies. First I am headed to Tasmania, then up along the east coast, and lastly over to New Zealand for a couple weeks. Hopefully my earnings over the past month or so will sustain me through all these travel plans! I hope you all are well. Know that you are often in my thoughts. My the grace and peace of Christ be continually yours.

Wine Country

Out of the city and into wine country, and a beautiful country at that. I have to say, this has probably been my favorite weekend since I've been here. To set the scene: Picture a countryside filled with rows and rows of the just blooming spring grape vines in the many vineyards that extend up onto the base of the small mountain range to the west and as far as the eye can see. And a small country road winding through the beautiful region. Perfect for a Sunday drive. For all of those from Spokane, WA, image the Green Bluff atmosphere, but instead of orchards and fruit picking - vineyards and wine tasting.

Katie and I, and our friend Martha, who's from Tennessee, spent the weekend up in Hunter Valley, enjoying the scenery and drinking excellent wine. We stayed at a great hostel, the Hunter Valley YHA (Youth Hostel Australia - there are tons of YHAs all over Australia). It was a small wooden lodging where we had a room meant for eight but empty except for the three of us girls. After arriving here we dropped off our bags and boarded the famous purple bus in which we traveled to the vineyards with a group of four other wine tasters and a lively and informative tour guide.

We went wine tasting at four different wineries. All of them ranging in style/atmosphere from small antique farm like settings, to a Tuscany and Spanish feel and achitecture, to bigger industrial sized wineries who produce ten times as much as the small ones and sell internationally. The largest winery that we visited, which may be familiar to some of you, was Lindemans. My favorite of the many wines we tasted that day was a Semillion, made by the Iron Gates Estate, year 2001. I'm sure that after this weekend I'm well on my way to becoming a wine connoisseur... or maybe not quite yet. :) We ended our tour at the most beautiful place called Hanging Tree Wines, where we sat drinking our glasses of wine watching the sunset over the mountains, turning the rows of new leaves on the vines a glowing spring green. Its hard for me to explain in words the sense of peace and quietness I felt here. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that I haven't left the busy and noisy city in over three weeks. But, it was exactly the calmness and stillness that my mind, body, and soul was desperately in need of. Then we finished off our amazing day at the hostel with yummy handmade woodfire pizza and a bottle of my favorite wine (yes, there was a lot of wine consumed that day), under a beautiful star-filled sky. I was beginning to think Australia didn't have any stars. I guess here you either have to choose the lights of a glowing Opera House and Harbor Bridge or the majestic, twinkling lights of the heavens (hmmm no favoritism there).

My body's internal alarm clock followed its weekly work schedule awaking me about six on Sunday morning, just in time to see one of the most amazing sunrises I've ever seen. The entire valley was filled with a low fog as the sun crept over the misty blanket, bursting forth into what would become a warm and glorious blue sky day. Perfect for relaxing in the Hunter Valley Gardens, surrounded on all sides by this beautiful wine country.